||| Ever wonder what happened to former Gladiator Tornado (a.k.a. David McIntosh)? Of course you did. Fortunately for us, those tireless hacksjournalists at The Sun have found out for us. The big lad is a mercenary in Iraq.

||| Iran, Jamaica... and anywhere in Africa. The GBLT community is under attack in developing countries, and it's not just because of "local culture".

||| International Mr. Leather - the largest annual leather event in the world - has this year outlawed "marketing that promotes unprotected sex". Right, Justin Terry-Smith at the event.

||| Maybe they should look harder at their straight soldier, like the one who asked these innocent Iraqi boys if they were gay and had gay sex, with the sole intent of humiliating them on camera. Towleroad has video.

||| 78% of Americans support allowing gay men and women to serve in the military. One in five oppose.

||| "Muslims are calling for the executions of homosexuals in America." These are the words of Bradlee Dean, speaking for rightwing Christian group You Can Run. Christians and Muslims united against gays...

||| Allan Gassman, the O Boys co-founder and safe sex activist, is dead. He was 47.

||| Malawi: Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga have been pardoned by President Bingu wa Mutharika, following his meeting with UN chief Ban Ki-moon, and intense international pressure. Last week, the couple were sentenced to fourteen years hard labour on charges of homosexuality.

||| Malawi: Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell - who has personally supported the couple - told UKGayNews, "Steven and Tiwonge should never have been arrested, let alone jailed for five months, convicted and sentenced to 14 years hard labour. They love one another and have harmed no one."

||| Malawi: Couple returned to their own seperate villages and forbidden to see one another; relatives hope they have "learned their lesson".

||| Malawi: Prior to their release, South African President Jacob Zuma condemned the couple's sentencing - but had refused to intervene. Actions speak louder than...

||| Malawi: Gay man, female or transgender? Why we have to guess about how Tiwonge Chimbalanga identifies.

||| Zimbabwe: Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe staff Ellen Chadehama and Ignatius Mhambi, arrested last week on trumped up charges of possessing pornography (and insulting president Robert Mugabe), were tortured in police custody.

||| Kenya, Malawi, Uganda... What are things like for our brothers and sisters in Ghana?

||| Homophobia in Africa is not a single story, Keguro Macharia writes. "We must question the idea that homophobia in Africa is unique and understand it within a broader global context."

||| But Africa isn't alone in failing to get to grips with its bigots. 19 out of 48 countries in the Asia Pacific region criminalise male-to-male sex.

||| As a result, HIV rates among gay men are reaching alarming highs throughout the region.

||| Cape Town, the gay capital of South Africa, is flush with the "pink rand".

||| And in India, entrepreneurs are chasing the 'pink rupee'; the High Court recently stuck down the ban on homosexual acts in place since British colonial times.

||| This is a truly wonderful story: The GBLT community in Moscow this weekend got the better of bumbling police to defy a ban on Moscow Pride by that city's homophobic Mayor. UKGayNews writes: "Activists paraded a 20-metre long Rainbow flag along a busy street in central Moscow. The police were totally outwitted after falling for all the 'mis-information' put out over the last few days. There was not a policeman in sight as the long flag was paraded for about 500 metres. One cop car arrived about five minutes after the activists has dispersed - and the media were by then doing interviews with both Russian and foreign participants." Video here.

||| Careless pillow talk: Former German spy and his male lover sentenced for leaking state secrets.

||| So, how did the boardroom discussion go? "Say, Bill, let's use an image of Hitler, dressed up in pink, to sell our cheap rags. The kids'll love it, and the ensuing controversy will generate bags of free publicity! It's a win-win!"

||| The first casualty of Britain's new coalition Government - the ConDems - is a weak man "terrified" of being outed. Pathetic - and a true indication of this administration's character.

||| But something about it doesn't make sense. Of course it doesn't. It's an an excuse.

||| The British Government opposed the promotion of "practising homosexuals" as recently as the mid-70s because they feared they were susceptible to blackmail.

||| Spandex, the gay superhero comic, has been nominated for an Eagle Award, for Favourite British Colour Comic.

||| Thinking of travelling to Australia? Be warned. Australian customs officials now have the right to search electronic devices (laptops, phones, cameras) for pornography.

||| Gay Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul has won the Palme d'Or - the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. His film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives took the prestigious award.

||| "I'd heard that a lot of professional actors were gay. Acting seemed like a chance for me to meet like-minded people." Sir Ian McKellen on the benefits of an actor's life.

||| The new A-Team movie's Mr T, Rampage Jackson (left): "Acting is kind of gay." Oh, so it's like that is it?

||| Blimey! I think I've found someone who hates Sex and The City more than I do! From The New Gay: "Once again the grim spectre of Sex and The City has botoxed its way into the national queer consciousness, whether we want it to or not."

||| You might not know, and I kinda didn't, but the 2010 Blatino Awards were held last month. "I contacted Joe Hawkins, the creative force behind the Blatino Oasis Awards," Victor Hoff writes at MOC Blog, "and pestered him into giving me something, anything to report on about this year's ceremonies. He was kind enough to send me two links to videos he found on YouTube." Here's one - head over to MOC Blog for the other.

||| Say it ain't so! D.O. - the model/porn star (aboveleft), and one of the sexiest men in the world - has allowed a beard to grow across is previously exquisite face.

||| Presented without comment, because that would be too easy: Twinklight.

The French pro-gay McDonald's ad has caused Fox News homophobe Bill O’Reilly to choke on his McFlurry Ogre-load! I'm always suspicious of such vociferously vile bigots — what is it that they're hiding?

Urban Shotz - AGREED! The last sequence, showing the street in a very real location, was much better. The tinkering they've done with the theme isn't very clever either, it makes it sound like a wartime museum piece.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to squash the persistent rumours about mysterious 'disappearances' and emphasize that rural and urban areas are now enjoying a life of harmony and peace. I'm sure you're glad to hear this. And I'm happy you're glad."